By A.L.G.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French
Duch cited a poem by Alfred de Vigny, in French, to explain his “internal conflict.”
Duch expressed his remorse for crimes committed at the M-13 camp which he was in charge of before taking over his management duty at S-21 in 1975.
“At that time, I was scared because this position forced me to answer to my supervisors. To avoid arrest, one must be careful,” he said about the internal conflicts within the Communist party of Kampuchea.
Duch then went on to quote in French an excerpt of a poem by Alfred de Vigny: “The death of the wolf”, while explaining that this excerpt helped him cope during that period, and it also helped him resolve his “internal conflict.”
“Weeping or praying - all this is in vain. / Shoulder your long and energetic task, / The way that Destiny sees fit to ask, / Then suffer and so die without complaint," Duch recited to the audience.
Duch also discussed about conflicts with Ta Mok, in particular regarding a prisoner under questioning who was able to commit suicide.
When asked by Judge Lavergne on the political context of the 70s, Duch indicated that “if Nixon did not let Lon Nol undertake his coup d’état, and if the Khmer Rouge did not cooperate with Norodom Sihanouk, they would not succeed. The Khmer Rouge saw in this coup d’état a golden opportunity.”
At the beginning of the hearing, the defense and the prosecution were confronting each other over the validity of a declaration made by Duch to Christophe Peschoux, the former representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). According to François Roux, Duch’s defense lawyer, his client was not informed of his right to remain silent when he was making this declaration. Therefore, Duch’s declaration should not be admitted as a piece of evidence. Robert Petit, the co-prosecutor, replied that this piece was included in Duch’s file since the beginning of the investigation. François Roux reminded that the defense expressed its reserve about this piece of evidence since January 2008.
Duch expressed his remorse for crimes committed at the M-13 camp which he was in charge of before taking over his management duty at S-21 in 1975.
“At that time, I was scared because this position forced me to answer to my supervisors. To avoid arrest, one must be careful,” he said about the internal conflicts within the Communist party of Kampuchea.
Duch then went on to quote in French an excerpt of a poem by Alfred de Vigny: “The death of the wolf”, while explaining that this excerpt helped him cope during that period, and it also helped him resolve his “internal conflict.”
“Weeping or praying - all this is in vain. / Shoulder your long and energetic task, / The way that Destiny sees fit to ask, / Then suffer and so die without complaint," Duch recited to the audience.
Duch also discussed about conflicts with Ta Mok, in particular regarding a prisoner under questioning who was able to commit suicide.
When asked by Judge Lavergne on the political context of the 70s, Duch indicated that “if Nixon did not let Lon Nol undertake his coup d’état, and if the Khmer Rouge did not cooperate with Norodom Sihanouk, they would not succeed. The Khmer Rouge saw in this coup d’état a golden opportunity.”
At the beginning of the hearing, the defense and the prosecution were confronting each other over the validity of a declaration made by Duch to Christophe Peschoux, the former representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). According to François Roux, Duch’s defense lawyer, his client was not informed of his right to remain silent when he was making this declaration. Therefore, Duch’s declaration should not be admitted as a piece of evidence. Robert Petit, the co-prosecutor, replied that this piece was included in Duch’s file since the beginning of the investigation. François Roux reminded that the defense expressed its reserve about this piece of evidence since January 2008.
5 comments:
The international community have to research into WHY there were the genocides in Cambodia before and during the KR rule (1975-79)and in other parts of our planet.
World War II was over in 1945. It caused immense devastation, BUT the COLD WAR was more destructive.
Since the start and until the end of Cold War, the number of the world population killed is not less than those killed during the WW2.And, the negative effects of the COLD WAR and its aftermath are still existing.
Because of their divided ideology, people took up arms and killed one another in all part of the world. The world superpowers (Western Bloc (the US) and Eastern Bloc ( The USSR) and China)were playing and testing the world with their political ambitions to control the world by means of waging the COLD WAR.
They provided weapons, money and military support to the divided nations to fight for their ideology that hopefully in the end those nations might fall into their political Blocs.
Cambodia and her people have always been the victims of the COLD WAR, even today.
The Communist China supplied military equipment to the KR and the US backed its satellite regime of Lon Nol to make war with the KR. They set Khmers against Khmers, killing Khmers. The US even bombarded Cambodia, using B-52warplane.
Several thousands of tons of bombs were dropped to kill KRouges, however only every few KR soldiers were destroyed, but large number was the innocent Khmers. The US bombardment was not any winning, but it was just a shameful setback as KR at that time became stronger and more solid militarily, politically and ideologically despite untold hardship they suffered from the air attacks .
Finally the US acts of aggressions were nothing but putting the fuel to the flame of the KR's anger and revenge.
When KR took power in 1975 they start the massacre in retaliation. As the US moved out of Cambodia, the only target of the KR's retaliation was the Pro-Lon Nol Regime Khmer people.
China, Vietnam, the US, the USSR all participated directly and indirectly in the massacre of Khmers.
Reader in Phnom Penh
Breaking News:
The Thai delegation during Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee meeting on April 6th 2009 admits that 22 Thai soldiers are killed and 27 are seriously wounded.
Damn, Son! No wonder why Thai military was so quick to send in 1000 special forces, more tanks and personnel carriers. We fucked them up good and they go the fuck knocked out of them and try to get up eh. Our military didn't even blink and just stand there and say "wanna go again?"
"Mess with the best, die like the rest" - Khmer 911 special forces' slogan
3:59PM, Thanks for reminding me -- I was there during the illegal bombing on the Khmer Sovereignty by the USA destructive force. We were decimated by the US, a 1/4 of the population obliterated or incinerated by the fire falling from the sky.
The amount of bombs dropped on Cambodia during the Nixon Era was equal to 2 H-bombs on Japan during WW2.
The skulls in Choeung Ek is the evidence that America is responsible directly and indirectly.
Yes, but do those Khmer Rouge have to kill our own or their own people? Apreancely, they don't care how many pupolation will remain in Cambodia. It looks like they don't even care, if they have to survive just by themself. They use their buttoms instead of their heads to think and do thing. That's what they are and oh, may be that's all they have.
7:14 PM
you are dreaming, what the US Army did was always the best. The US constitution clearly said protected the lives of the US Citizen but kill the non US citizen. Is it not the same as the Nazi "Ideology?"
Because of the US war in Vietnam, were not just the Vietnam citizen, but their own US citizen and lately the Khmer citizen.
Tell me the reason about the Vietnam war of the US Army.
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